Strike Up the Band

Strike Up the Band (1930) is a musical with a book by Morrie Ryskind, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. The musical ran on Broadway in 1930 after the original book by George S. Kaufman was revised. The story satirizes America’s taste for war: America declares war on Switzerland over a trivial trade issue. Songs: “Fletcher’s American Chocolate Choral Society”; “I Mean to Say”; “Soon”; “Three Cheers for the Union”; “He Knows Milk”; “Strike Up the Band”; “Mademoiselle from New Rochelle”; “I’ve Got a Crush on You”; “(How About a Boy) Like Me?”.